HOUSTON — If you’re wondering when to start holiday shopping, the message from retailers is the same. They all say start now.
“We certainly have a long way to go before we see a turnaround,” said retail analyst Hitha Herzog with H Squared. Herzog suggests shopping for toys or electronics as soon as possible.
“As we get into November, December there’s gonna be a real short supply, especially if your kids want electronics,” she said. That’s gonna be in real short supply because of the microchips.”
Between microchips and supply chain disruptions, there are other things to consider scooping up early.
Sportswear from Nike, Columbia and Lululemon could start running out. CBS News reports that factories in Vietnam that make the clothing had pandemic shutdowns.
Artificial Christmas trees are imported and getting more expensive and harder to find.
Christmas Lights are also imported, mainly from Asia. We bought so many last year, imports to restock are coming in slower.
The slowdowns aren’t going away anytime soon either. Just ask supply chain expert Margaret Kidd with the University of Houston.
“I anticipate it’s going to take 12-18 months for the supply chain to level out and approach normality,” Kidd explained. “A lot of this is contingent on COVID vaccination rates increasing in Southeast Asia and Asia where all the manufacturing hubs are located.”
The bottom line is if you haven’t started holiday shopping, don’t wait. If you’re shopping for something in particular, buy it when you see it.